Title

Author

Defense Date

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Interdisciplinary Studies

Department

Interdisciplinary Studies

First Advisor

Sara Clark

Abstract

My mixed media paintings explore the concept of home. I showcase topics regarding what a home is and how it connects to one’s identity. My desire to find home, emotionally and literally, has always preoccupied my mind. I have never been able to set deep roots, and that is a very unsettling feeling.

My obsession with homes focuses on abandoned houses. These dwellings that people once took so much pride in are now left to rot and decay. The dilapidated state makes me see them as symbolic lost souls. I find similarities between houses and the human experience; houses have a history in the same way that people do.

My process begins by taking photographs of these homes and creating image transfers that I apply to old wooden planks. The wooden planks are salvaged from the home because they have a physical connection to the space. I layer my transfers onto the planks with paint, objects, dirt, and wallpaper from the homes. I seal the paintings with encaustic wax or resin to preserve the objects, as a tribute to the things that once held value. By using multiple media and objects, I create textured surfaces that help tell a story about the house. By telling a story, I want to create a second life for these places.